How to Declare a Major or Minor

Ready right now? To set up the required in-person appointment with the Classics Program Coordinator, Elisabetta Cova, please email covae@uwm.edu.

When to Declare

Ideally, you should declare the major or minor as soon as possible, in order to take advantage of departmental advising in planning the best sequence of upper-level courses. There are no prerequisites you need before declaring.

Explore the Different Tracks in the Major and Minor

The Classics Major is divided into three specific tracks (Classical Civilization, Greek, and Latin) with different course requirements. The Classics Minor is also divided into three specific tracks (Classical Civilization, Greek, and Latin). Examine the tracks and think about which one suits your interests best. You can make an appointment with the Program Coordinator to get more information.

Initial Advising Appointment to Declare the Major or Minor

The next step is to contact the Program Coordinator, preferably via email covae@uwm.edu. You should request an appointment. At that appointment, the Program Coordinator will be able to answer your preliminary questions about the major or minor. You, in turn, will be asked about your background, your current interests, and your long-range plans to help you create a fulfilling program appropriate to your interests and goals.

Advising for Majors and Minors

Once you have declared your major, you will have access to two different advisors: your L&S college advisor, who will help you with your overall degree requirement and the Program Coordinator, who will answer any questions that come up regarding technical aspects of the major (e.g., which courses satisfy which requirements).

You should plan to meet with your advisor once a semester, before registering for classes, to talk over your progress in the major and your plans for future classes.

A good sequence for majors and minors would be this:

  • First see what courses you need to fulfill specific requirements and which of those are being offered in the upcoming semester.
  • Then, go to the online schedule and check what courses will be offered. The course descriptions attached to the classes on the UWM Schedule web site should help you to refine your choices by telling you what texts will be covered, what the main issues of the course are likely to be, how many papers and exams will be expected of you, how grades will be determined, and so on.
  • Next, talk over those choices with your major advisor to get his/her feedback.
  • Remember to do all this early enough so as not to be closed out of any courses you may want or need.